


Capture the Flag

by mosylu



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, F/M, Rivalry, counselors, smooching after lights out, snark and sass, written for AUgust, you know that's what you're here for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 16:03:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15644154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mosylu/pseuds/mosylu
Summary: Caitlin Snow can almost taste it. That Capture the Flag trophy will belong to Birch Cabin this summer.The only thing standing in their way is Walnut Cabin and Cisco Ramon.





	Capture the Flag

**Author's Note:**

> Written for @thatkillervibe on Tumblr, who asked for a Summer Camp AU for AUgust.

On her way back from the head table, Caitlin Snow paused at the Capture the Flag brackets on the big wall chalkboard. Birch Cabin - _her_ cabin - marched down the brackets to land in the middle, ready for tomorrow’s championship game. She felt herself swell with pride.

Okay, so it was a silly summer-camp competition. But she had a great cabin this month. There had been the usual traumas with poison ivy, bedwetting, and homesickness, but it was a cabin of girls between the ages of eight and ten. That came with the territory.

Even more, they were the best Capture the Flag team she’d ever had. They communicated well, they played smart, and they’d fought hard to beat their opponents. They deserved the big, tacky trophy that Iris, the head counselor, would present at the last-night bonfire, and the paper certificates that would go home with them the next day.

Her eyes landed on the bracket directly opposite her Birches, and they narrowed.

_Walnut._

“So,” said a voice at her side. “It is down to you, and it is down to me.”

She turned, arms folded over her Camp Bright Star Staff t-shirt, to glare at Cisco Ramon. “Your Walnuts better have a great concession speech ready.”

He mirrored her stance, smirking at her. “Oh, my guys will be delighted to write a concession speech for the Birches to use.”

She gave a haughty sniff, because she couldn’t think of a good reply, and marched away toward her table. She heard his laugh follow her back.

Birch table was happy and chattering, buzzing over their victory today and anticipation of the championship match tomorrow. Caitlin checked that Priya had gotten her vegetarian meal (yes) and that Meghyn wasn’t sneaking any bread (Caitlin now knew more than she wanted to about the effects of celiac) and that Gracie was actually eating and not pushing her food around on her plate (yes, slowly).

“Campers!” Caitlin said, clapping her hands, and they all looked around. “So, I was just talking to the Walnut counselor, and he seems to think that Walnut is going to be getting that Capture the Flag trophy tomorrow. Is that the case?”

“Nnnnnnoooooooo!” bellowed ten girls and one CIT.

“Who’s getting that Capture the Flag trophy?”

“BIIIIIIRCH!!!!” they howled, drawing the attention of the entire mess hall.

Oak Cabin, who’d lost to Walnut a few days ago, laughed. Pine Cabin, who they’d beat today, looked sour. Up at the head table, Barry the sports director was grinning broadly and Iris was shaking her head, suppressing her own smile.

“Darn skippy,” Caitlin said, throwing a triumphant look over her shoulder at the Walnut table. Cisco scowled at her, and then leaned in to start whispering with his CIT.

What they were whispering about was made clear as they were dismissed from the mess hall. Usually Walnut straggled down the path to their cabin, chattering and shoving for position, some of them wandering off the path to investigate interesting trees or especially disgusting bugs. Cisco always said, “We'll get back eventually.”

But today, as Caitlin’s campers lined up neatly buddy-system behind her and her CIT, Walnut Cabin lined up next to them, as orderly as a boot camp.

Mei muttered, “What fresh heck is this?”

“No idea,” Caitlin muttered back. “What are you doing?” she said to Cisco.

“Just getting some discipline in my ranks,” he said airily, “like you’re always talking about. Right, Wally?”

“Right,” his CIT said, smirking.

Caitlin’s campers scowled and folded their arms, as suspicious as she was. Walnut Cabin was the one that was always getting dinged for noise after lights-out and running over their time in the arts and crafts hall. Discipline was about the last thing on their list of priorities.

“A moment, Walnut Counselor?” she said, stepping over to the shade of the mess hall.

“Anything for you, Birch Counselor,” he said, following her.

She gave him a deeply suspicious look. “You didn’t sabotage our cabin in any way, did you?”

He looked genuinely wounded. “What are we, Hemlock? Walnut plays fair.”

“Just checking,” she said.

“You didn’t put any booby traps on the field, did you?”

“Excuse you? We’re Birch, not Butternut.”

“Just checking,” he said.

He glanced over at their campers, and she followed his lead. They were whispering and giggling amongst themselves, with occasional glares for form’s sake at the other cabin. Wally and Mei were both trying to keep them in line.

“So,” Cisco murmured, even quieter, “same time, same place?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” she murmured back.

He grinned. “Awesome.” He turned on his heel and yelled, “Walnut Cabin, let’s get crackin’!”

While Caitlin was still blinking at the abrupt change in volume, he started off down the path. “I don’t know but I been told - ”

Right on cue, all ten boys began to march after him, shouting back, _“I don’t know but I been told - ”_

“Birch Tree Cabin’s growing mold!”

_“Birch Tree Cabin’s growing mold!”_ A rush of little-boy giggles obscured the last word.

Cisco carried on, smirking over his shoulder as the boys repeated after him. “Walnut kids are big and strong! Beating them won’t take too long! Sound off!”

_“One two!”_

“Sound off!”

_“Three four!”_

“Sound off!”

_“One two three four … ”_

Their voices faded into the woods, leaving Birch Cabin gaping after them. Caitlin shut her mouth with a snap. “Campers,” she said. “Let’s get back to Birch. We’ve got strategy to plan.”

* * *

Cisco meandered along the edge of the Capture the Flag field, considering the game the next day. Birch Cabin was smart, but they played safe, a lot like Caitlin. Cisco encouraged his kids to think outside the box, get creative, take risks. A lot of them ended up in the penalty box and he always had to have bandaids on hand, but it had gotten them to the finals, hadn’t it?

He sighed and looked at his watch. Phones didn’t work out here. You got half a bar if you were lucky, and forget wifi. She was late. That wasn’t like Caitlin. She was never late.

He unhooked his walkie talkie from his belt and considered sending out a call. He’d get a lot of ribbing from the other counselors but it might be worth it.

A pair of hands covered his eyes. “Guess who.”

He grinned. “Iris.”

“No.”

“Barry?”

“No!”

“Hmmmmmmmm. Only one person it could be then.” He spun around and kissed Caitlin before she could get away. She giggled against his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Hey,” he said softly, resting his hands on her waist. “Where were you? My lips were getting sad and lonely.”

“Awww.” She pressed another kiss to them. “Poor lips. I was talking to Joe and Iris.”

He frowned at her. “About what? The chant? Oh my god, that was nothing. You should have heard the verses I nixed.”

“Not the chant,” she said. “The chant was fine. I mean, it got the girls fired up, but it was fine.” She kissed him again. She tasted like the honey chapstick she used obsessively. “No, Mei came to me and said they want to start using their pronouns with the campers next session.”

“What, really? That’s amazing!” Caitlin’s CIT had asked all the counselors and CITs to use they/them pronouns during training and setup at the beginning of the summer, but they’d been a little wary about it during session, in front of the kids. Cisco had tripped over his tongue a lot this session.

“Yeah, it’s great! I’m really happy for her.” She shook her head. “I mean, them. It’s a big step.”

“So was Joe cool with it?”

“Of course he was. Mei’s been coming here since they were little. He’s just happy they’re comfortable being themselves here. He was talking about some counselor talks this weekend, so we know how to handle it with the kids.”

“The kids’ll be fine,” he said. “It’s the parents. It’s always the parents.”

“I hope so. I mean, not that the parents will be awful. But that the kids will be okay.”

“They will. Remember Mei’s first session? When we were CITs? Even then they were kind of gender fluid and after the first day or so, that was just Mei.”

“Oh, yeah,” Caitlin said. “That was so long ago. I was looking at the picture in Joe’s office. You were so cute.”

“I was, wasn’t I?”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “And modest.”

“You were cute too.”

“Too late,” she said.

“Really?” He kissed her. “Am I?” Kiss. “Too late?”

She laughed and kissed him back.

They walked around the edge of the field, holding hands and talking, and occasionally stopping to kiss some more. “I can’t believe it’s almost the end of the session,” Caitlin said wistfully.

“Two more days and then the little demons are out of our hair.”

“You’re going to cry on Goodbye Day and you know it.”

“Oh, man, I’m gonna sob like a baby,” Cisco admitted. He loved the kids; he wouldn’t be doing this job if he didn’t.

She hugged him close. She would be crying as hard as he would in two days’ time.

He turned his head to press his lips to her ear. “And then,” he murmured, “two whole days and three whole nights of freedom.”

“Not exactly freedom,” she said. “We have workshops and counselor talks and cleaning and setup - ”

“And picnics and parties and trips into town - ” He started kissing her neck. “- and all sorts of time, just you and me.”

“Mmm. Sounds like you have big plans for intersession.”

“I really do. You want a preview?”

“I would love one.”

They kissed in the grass until Caitlin’s watch buzzed against her wrist. He sat up reluctantly. “Time?”

“Almost.” She kissed him once more.

As they straightened their shirts and pulled grass out of each others’ hair, Cisco said, “Hey, I don’t suppose you found an action figure anywhere? Rohti lost his little buddy and now he’s losing his mind.” He'd searched the path to the mess hall twice with a flashlight and a tearful eight-year-old.

“Was it Captain America?”

“Yeah! You did?”

She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out the little action figure. “Priya did.”

He looked suspicious. “Found it or ‘found’ it?”

“Actually found it, in the path,” Caitlin said. “She’s still his big sister, even if they’re at each other’s throats this summer.”

“Awww.” He took it, wiping some dirt off Cap’s shield. “What’s up with them anyway?”

“I really don’t know. I don’t think they do, either. It’s just one of those sibling things.”

He helped her up and hooked his arm around her waist as they started walking back toward the cabins. “Well, I hope he doesn’t make her feel too bad when Walnut Cabin whups you guys tomorrow.”

She elbowed him, but not too hard, so he wouldn’t let go of her. “Dream on, mister. Birch is going to _destroy_ you.”

FINIS


End file.
